Soundcheck

Wrap yourself in the reverb-drenched guitar-driven songs from Brighton-based Juanita Stein, sometimes seen fronting the band Howling Bells (originally from Sydney, Australia.) Inherent in her music is a love of pop, psych, and rockenroll from the 1950s and 60s, mixed with some American country, folk, and the Blues. On her latest album, Snapshot, written in tribute to her late father, who was also a musician and guitar player, the layers of guitar twang and fuzz are artfully arranged together with delicate keys and string arrangements. She and her full band play some of the tunes remotely from Brighton, England, and bring some hopeful warmth and joy.   

Set list: “1, 2, 3, 4,5, 6” “L.O.T.F.” “The Mavericks”

123456:

L.O.T.F.:

The Mavericks:

London-based Sam Amidon has a reputation for having collected, re-imagined, and performed American traditional tunes or other folk music in unconventional ways. The Vermont-born singer/fiddler/banjoist/guitarist is the scion of a legendary family of shape-note singers, has fallen in with New Music folks like Kronos Quartet, Nico Muhly and Icelandic label Bedroom Community, and relocated to London. His latest album, Sam Amidon, explores classic known tunes – shape note anthems, murder ballads, traditional folk songs, as well as a spacey-trippy Taj Mahal cover - and sets them in the “imagined space of an album fantasy world.” 

Sam Amidon and musician Chris Vatalaro (Antibalas drummer 2006-2010) play some favorite folk songs in inventive arrangements, remotely, from London. Sam explains the history of some of the shape note hymnody and explains how New England Puritans borrowed pirate song and drinking song melodies and attached spiritual words and religious texts instead; i.e. the pirate song, "Captain Kidd" as "What Wondrous Love Is This?" Then, they’d harmonize on top and bottom, without formal Western European harmonies for a drone minimalist feel. Additionally, Sam describes how one of his banjo tunings actually came from a Black Banjo Songsters compilation record and he and John go a wee bit further into some guitar tunings. 

Set List: “Cuckoo Bird” “Hallelujah” “Pretty Polly”

Songwriter Thao Nguyen performs with one of the best band names in the business: Thao And The Get Down Stay Down. Their 2013 album We The Common, marked a turning point both in Nguyen's musical career and in her life. During a hiatus from touring and recording with the band (Thao released a collaborative album with singer-songwriter Mirah in 2011), Nguyen spent time connecting with family and volunteering at a women's prison, where she met an inmate named Valerie Bolden. Bolden's story inspired the title track, one of three songs that Thao and her band played in-studio. (From the Archives, 2013.)  

Alabama native Naomi Shelton came to Brooklyn as part of The Great Migration of African-Americans out of the South, and she brought along her deep affection for gospel and soul music. Her collection of gritty grooves and commanding vocals recalls both her Daptone labelmate, Sharon Jones, and R&B-infused rock bands like Alabama Shakes. Shelton sings passionately about the human condition and personal burdens along with the Gospel Queens. This is music for the spirit -- and for the feet. (This 2014 in-studio performance is from the Archives.) Set List: "Sinner," "It's A Cold, Cold World,""I Don't Know"

Hailing from New Zealand’s Southern port town of Lyttelton, Aldous Harding digs deep into classic folk music with her acoustic-based brooding songs. Her music is utterly captivating, yet melancholy and bleak; the arrangements are delicate, simple, and elegant - with subtle harmonies, perhaps a touch of fiddle or keyboard, supporting acoustic guitar and Harding’s haunting voice. Hear the New Zealand singer-songwriter perform fragile & intense songs in the studio. 

"Stop your Tears"'What If Birds Aren’t Singing, They’re Screaming""Horizon"

Lomelda is the stage name of Texas-born singer and guitarist Hannah Read. The distinction between Lomelda and Hannah is one she wrestles with on her new album, called “Hannah.” She has a remarkable voice and her songs can swing from softly sung ballads to roaring guitar-based rock; and those songs can cover topics like family, music, creativity, and most notably on this new album, Hannah Read. The album is called Hannah, and in addition to “Hannah’s Sun,” we get tracks called “Hannah Happiest” and “Hannah Please.” But we also get the apparently definitive song title “It’s Lomelda,” a tune that namechecks favorite bands like Low, Yo La Tengo, and Frank Ocean. Lomelda (Hannah?) plays some her inventively-arranged songs, solo, remotely. 

Set list: "Wonder," "Tommy Dread," "Polyurethane":

"Wonder":

"Tommy Dread,":

"Polyurethane,":

New Orleans has produced plenty of remarkable singers, but few of those native sons and daughters sing quite like the legendary Aaron Neville. He joined us in 2010 to talk about one of his first loves – gospel music - and his album I Know I’ve Been Changed. That release marked 50 years of recording for him and featured fellow New Orleans heavyweight, the late Allen Toussaint; the material is familiar old songs and spirituals, infused with New Orleans family ties, country, folk, blues, and even some of the rhythms of the Mardi Gras Indians. Accompanying himself on our piano, Neville sings these prayers live in The Greene Space, enlisting the audience as percussionists on one of the tunes, (From the Archives, 2010.) 

Set list: "I Am a Pilgrim," "Meetin' At The Building," "Oh Freedom"

Singer-songwriter Randy Newman's 50-plus year career has been filled with lyrical commentating on America’s brightest—and bleakest—moments. In 2011, he had just released the second volume of “The Randy Newman Songbook.” Randy joined us live in the studio to talk about chronicling his life's work on the three-volume retrospective, which features stripped-down piano and vocal arrangements of songs spanning the decades. He plays in-studio. (From the Archives, 2011.)

“Baltimore” - Randy Newman (The Randy Newman Songbook, Vol. II)

LIVE PERFORMANCE: “Dixie Flyer” - Randy Newman (The Randy Newman Songbook, Vol. II)

“Sail Away” - Randy Newman (Sail Away)

“We Belong Together” - Randy Newman (Toy Story 3 Original Soundtrack)

LIVE PERFORMANCE: “Louisiana 1927” - Randy Newman (Good Old Boys)

“Short People” - Randy Newman (Little Criminals)

“I Love L.A.” - Randy Newman (Trouble in Paradise)

LIVE PERFORMANCE: “Same Girl” - Randy Newman (The Randy Newman Songbook, Vol. II)

“Losing You” - Randy Newman (The Randy Newman Songbook, Vol. II)

Ben Harper is a three-time Grammy winner, a singer/songwriter/producer and multi-instrumentalist who’s played in a wide variety of styles and with a Who’s Who of famous musical colleagues. But his upcoming album, Winter Is For Lovers is just Harper and a single lap steel guitar, inspired by the so-called American Primitive style of the late John Fahey and Leo Kottke. In interviews, Harper has declared himself a big fan of flamenco, classical, Hawaiian and blues guitar, and there might be some of those styles in there as well. Ben Harper joins us from home to play these instrumentals on his Monteleone lap steel guitar. Set list: "London," "Joshua Tree," "Inland Empire"

Back in 2008, the English singer-songwriter Adele turned heads with her hit “Chasing Pavements" from an album called 19. Then in 2011, she released what would become a juggernaut of a record, called 21. Adele joined us to talk about it just about a week before it came out, and gave us a sneak preview with a live performance of her huge hit, "Rolling in the Deep." (From the Archives, 2011.)